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The morning of January 9, 2015, began like any other for Michael Stevens, an employee for a service provider in the Memphis, Tennessee area. He set out his safety cones in preparation to scale a power line when, in an instant, everything changed.

A car, swerving to avoid another vehicle, crossed traffic and collided with Michael’s utility truck. The collision sent Michael, who was walking toward traffic, airborne.

Across the street, Brent Dawkins was finishing his delivery route for McCollum Delivery Service, Inc., a FedEx Ground service provider.

“I heard tires screeching,” Brent said. “I looked up and scanned the area. That’s when I saw Michael lying on the ground.”

Michael suffered life-threatening injuries in the accident. His right leg was severed above the knee, and his left leg badly mangled.

“There was blood everywhere,” Brent said.

Brent, a former airborne paratrooper in Afghanistan, knew that Michael had only a few minutes to live if left untreated.

Without hesitation, Brent rushed to the scene. He used another delivery driver’s belt as a tourniquet to slow the blood flow. He dialed 911, alerting emergency officials to the gravity of the situation, and triaged Michael’s other injuries, including broken bones in his neck, spine and below his ear.

Michael was airlifted to the hospital where doctors told him that, without Brent’s quick thinking, the odds of survival were dismal.

“It’s not all bad,” Michael said. “There are some things to be optimistic about.”

Michael was recently fitted for a prosthetic leg and will undergo therapy to learn to walk again.

“I’ll be able to walk in the future, and that’s all thanks to Brent for saving my life,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here without him.”

GOD BLESS THE USA for training this man in the service of his country, having field experience to make good judgements. But taking a bow on that is what makes Fedex a bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.